Title: Southern California Workers Unite in Demanding Better Pay and Working Conditions
Subtitle: Hotel Workers Join Ongoing Wave of Strikes Across Industries
Los Angeles, CA – In a show of solidarity across various industries, workers in Southern California have recently threatened to strike or walked off the job to demand higher wages and improved working conditions. This surge of labor protests highlights the frustration among younger employees, who are grappling with widening income inequality and shrinking opportunities.
Dockworkers at the sprawling ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach had disrupted operations for weeks until reaching a tentative agreement in June. Similarly, screenwriters have been picketing outside Hollywood studios for approximately two months. The widespread nature of these labor fights reflects a collective outcry against issues like rising homelessness and the skyrocketing cost of housing.
Hugo Soto-Martinez, a Los Angeles City Council member and former organizer for Unite Here Local 11, emphasized that these strikes are fueled by the concerns of workers, particularly the younger generation, who feel the impact of these issues more acutely. He stated, “It’s homelessness, it’s the cost of housing. I think people are understanding those issues in a much more palpable way.”
The timing of the hotel workers’ strike is significant, as it coincides with the start of the summer tourism season. Labor leaders hope to leverage this momentum to push for their demands. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism in Los Angeles reached its highest levels last year since the outbreak began. The city saw approximately 46 million visitors and generated $34.5 billion in total business sales in 2022, representing 91 percent of the record set in 2019.
However, many workers, like Diana Rios-Sanchez, a housekeeping supervisor at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown, feel that their wages have failed to keep up with inflation. Rios-Sanchez, who lives with her three children in a one-bedroom apartment in El Sereno, expressed concerns about being able to afford to stay in the city. She stated, “All we do in hotels is work and work and get by with very little. We take care of the tourists, but no one takes care of us.”
While labor activists demand higher wages, business groups argue that addressing California’s exorbitant cost of living requires broader solutions. Merely increasing pay rates does not tackle the underlying issues contributing to the high cost of housing in the state.
The hotel workers’ union has been in negotiations since April for a new contract. In June, union members approved a strike. They are requesting an immediate $5 increase in hourly wages, with additional $3 raises each year over a three-year contract.
Hotel representatives, however, assert that they have made substantial offers to address the workers’ demands. One such example is the proposal to increase pay for housekeepers currently earning $25 per hour to over $31 per hour by January 2027 in Beverly Hills and downtown Los Angeles.
On a positive note, the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, a prominent hotel in downtown Los Angeles, recently announced that it has successfully averted a worker walkout by reaching a contract deal.
Agreements made amidst these labor disputes are also expected to establish pay levels ahead of the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics, which are anticipated to attract massive numbers of tourists to the region.
According to strike organizer Mr. Petersen, the hotel strike is expected to continue for “multiple days.” The Hotel Association of Los Angeles, on the other hand, reassured visitors that hotels would remain fully operational during the strike.
As the labor movement gains momentum across Southern California, workers are persistently demanding improved working conditions and fair wages that reflect the rising cost of living. The outcome of these ongoing labor disputes will significantly impact the economic landscape of the region.
Contributor: Anna Betts